Video: Inside the Plane Every NASA Astronaut Must Learn to Fly
A pair of T-38s fly in formation over Galveston Beach in Texas, showing some of the aerobatic abilities of the aircraft. NASA
Astronauts have been flying the T-38 since the 1960s.
Many important aspects of the U.S. space program in the 1960s have long since been retired. The T-38, however, has been in use by NASA since 1961 and is still an important part of astronaut training.
"Reading out of a book or sitting in the simulator, it's never gonna be the same as when you're hide's on the line, when your decisions really have consequences," said astronaut Tom Marshburn. "I would say it's the best space-flight training that we have."
The small jet can fly faster than the speed of sound and as high as 40,000 feet.
"The initial airframe was built decades ago, but it's flying like it's brand new or even better," said Josh Cassada, who became an astronaut in 2013. "This T-38 is decked out in a way no other T-38 on the planet is."
To learn more about the T-38, check out the video below from Wired: